§ Lord Ashley of Stokeasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many, and which, primary care trusts currently inform adults requiring cochlear implants that there are no funds for the foreseeable future. [HL3667]
§ Lord WarnerWhile the Department of Health does not collect figures on the numbers of cases where funding for cochlear implants is delayed or refused, we understand that the Institute for Hearing Research surveys specialised centres about cochlear implant services. The last such survey was at the end of 2001. Primary care trusts came into existence in October 2001 and full-year figures for the services they fund are not yet available.